But delegation welcomes openness of Israeli government

THE AUTHORS of the Children in Military Custody report have paid tribute to the openness of the Israeli authorities and say they were given access to the highest levels of government, the military and the judicial system during their visit last year. Speaking at the launch of the Foreign Office-backed report on Tuesday, Baroness Scotland 8 WORLDNEWS 14 BUSINESS 16 FEATURES 21 JUDAISM 18 SOC&PERS 22 COMMENT 23 DIARY 22 LEADER& LETTERS 20 OBITUARY 28 ARTS 29 THEATRE/FILM 29 BOOKS 30 LIFE/FASHION 32 LIFE/FOOD 34 LIFE/ TRAVEL 39 LIFE/PUZZLES 40 CLASSIFIED 50 SPORT C1 COMMUNITY C8 FACES & PLACES NEWS: editorial@thejc.com 020 7415 1639 VIEWS: letters@thejc.com emphasised the importance of a continuing dialogue with Israel over the issue of Palestinian children held in detention.

She said: “The authorities welcomed [the visit] and were very open with the process. That should certainly be celebrated.” She welcomed changes to the law which raised the age of majority to 18 for Palestinian children and created juvenile military courts. “The fact they have introduced a juvenile justice system is a step forward. If we can be constructive in the way we engage, there is hope,” she added. She hoped Israel would learn from the British example and introduce the videoing of interviews of suspects in the future.

However, Sir Stephen Sedley, who led the delegation of nine lawyers, emphasised the uncomfortable conclusions of the report for the Israeli government. He pointed out that the number of Palestinian children in detention had risen, since the lawyers’ visit, from 164 to 234. “There is no cause yet for optimism, and much cause for concern,” he said. “Differential justice is no justice at all.”

He said the key point of contention with the Israeli government was whether the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child applied beyond Israel’s borders. He identified a key para- graph in the report, which states: “In our judgment it is factually and legally unreal to suggest that children who are arrested by the Israeli Defence Force, interrogated by either the Israeli police or the Israeli Security Agency, held in prisons and judged by Israeli military courts, are not within the jurisdiction of Israel.”

The full report can be found at: www. childreninmilitarycustody.org